Material edgestitcher guide mechanism for use with the presser foot of sewing machines



Oct. 30, 1951 P. c. WIEGANDT 2,573,170

MATERIAL EDGESTITCHER GUIDE MECHANISM FORUSE v R FOOT OF SEWING MACHINES WITH THE PRESSE Filed Sept. 3, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INVENTOR. P401. ClV/EGAA/DT ATTORNEY Oct. 30, 1951 R MATERIAL EDGESTI C. WIEGANDT TC 2,573,170 HER GUIDE MECHANISM FOR USE WITH THE PRESSER FOOT OF SEWING MACHINES 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Sept. 5,

' INVENTOR.

PAUL CM/IEGANDT A TTOR/VEX i a ten tec l Oct. 30, 1951 MATERIAL EDGESTITOHER GUIDE MECH- ANISM FOR .USE WITH THE PRESSE-R Fooror SEWING MACHINES Paul Wieg'andt, Brooklyn, N. Y.;- Katherine Wiegandt administratrix of said Paul C. Wiegandt, deceased ApplicationSeptember 3, 1948, Serial No. 47.704

The invention relates to sewing machine at-- tachments, more especially to a guide member adapted for use with the customary reciprocable presser foot thereof, said guide member being designed to guide the edges of superposed material such as cloth, in sewing a seam close to said edges. I am aware that such guide members in association with presser members have heretofore been proposed, but the effective or toe portion thereof in these constructions continue to reciprocate along with the presser foot block and its actuating rod. Such an arrangement is not entirely satisfactory, particularly when stitch.- ing along edges of irregular perimeter such as angular and arcuate portions.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel presser foot-guide member combination wherein the toe portion of the guide member does not follow the reciprocating motion of the presser foot rod but continues to maintain contact at its lower edge with the top surface of the sewing machine table over which the goods are advanced for stitching.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the guide member toe may be manually withdrawn from its contact with the table top and locked to the presser member in displaced relationship to said top throughout the stitching operation when it is desired to effect ordinary sewing operations with the machine.

A still further object is to provide a guide member aiTording a means for continuous contact of goods edgewise therewith to prevent slipping of the goods past the guide toe or overlapping of the edge portions of said goods irrespective of irregularities in the boundary of the edge portions being stitched.

Another object of the invention is to provide guide mechanism which may be combined readily with standard forms of presser foot members as utilized in both domestic and commercial types of sewing machines.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a presser foot member-guide member combinationwhich is simple to apply to a sewing machine, simple to operate and through the use of which work may be accomplished considerably faster than heretofore and better results obtained, particularly in relation to power-operated sewing machines; alsoadmitting of sewing closer to the 4 Claims. (01. 112-153) edges than is generally possible in edgestitching as heretofore conducted. 7

In carrying out the invention, the guide member is in the nature of a slide element slidably mounted over ways provided at one side of the customary presser member, said slide element terminating at the bottom in a thin blade or toe element extending between the tines of the bifurcated foot element of the presser member, thelower edge of said toe element being normally extended below the tines to contact with the table top of or intermediate material upon a sewing machine and maintaining this contact irrespective 0f the reciprocations of the presser foot rod. This is accomplished by a spring retained in the presser member acting on a member extending from the slide element; and provision is made to lock said slide, when desired, in an elevated position with the lower edge of the toe maintained substantially flush with the bottom of the tines of the presser foot element.

The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the use of the novel guide member as associated with customary presser foot member.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof with the. needle and needle bar removed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the novel guide; member-presser foot member combination with; the toe of the guide member indicated in the re-' tracted position by broken lines; and Fig. 4 is an. end view.

Fig. 5 is a bottomview of the novel combina-- tion.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the novel combination. at the side of the presser foot member to which. the guide member is applied.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken on the line: 1-1, Fig. 6 of the drawings, and looking in the.- direction of the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a similar section taken on the line 8-8, Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in perspective of. the slide element of the guide member.

Fig. 10 is a horizontal section taken on the line Ill-l0, Fig. 8 of the drawings, and looking: in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the slide element of the guide member.

Referring to the drawings, 20 designates the top of a sewing table-or commercial sewing machine designed to receive the goods or material 2|, the overlying edges 22 and 23 of which are to be stitched as close to the edge as possible by the needle 24 actuated by needle bar 25 in the usual manner. .This needle operates in the slot 26"which is formed between the tines 27 and 28 of the reciprocable presser foot member 29' through the action of the actuating rod 30.

The member 29 may be attached to this rod in the customary manner through screw 34 passing through open-ended slot 32 of the member. At its lower end member 29 pivotally carries the spring-urged presser foot element 33 comprising the tines'2'l and 28;-all of which is well understood and' forms no particular part of the present invention.

In accordance with the invention, however, the presser member 29 has associated therewith a guide member comprising a 'slide'element 35 with top lip or finger piece '36 and lower'blade or toe portion 31. The latter has a generally straight edge 38 (Figs. 3, andfi) along the'bottom which is designed to restnormallyupon the top under a predetermined spring pressure and immediately adjacent the juxtaposed customary cloth advancing means or feed dogs31. The slide member to this end is provided with inturned sides 39 and 40 respectively, fitting about ways/ H and 42 provided by the one side 4-3 of the presser member. Also,.the body of the'latter is provided with a longitudinal bore45 with adjacent communicating lateral slot v46 through which passes a screw i'i threaded in the boss 48 of the slide-element, saidscrew extending into the bore'45. A coiled spring 49 mounted in the bore -45 contacts through its one end the-said screw 41 and at the other and outer end the spring is engaged by a screw plug 50 threaded into thebore. Being thus confined'between the screw 4! and plug'50,'the-tension on the spring, and consequently on the, slide element, may be regulated. This determines as well as maintains thecontact pressure exertedby the-toe 31, its downward movement, however, being limited by the bottom of the slot -46. The toe 3! is provided with a lateral reinforcing rib 5! which extends into'a slot 52 (Fig. 5 of the tine 28 and beyond the same substantially to the bottom of the ways 42. -As shown, said toe 3-! extends between the two tines 2'! and 28, being juxtaposed to'the latter; and in normal operation extends below the bottom of said tines to contact the table top, as hereinbefore described, under a predetermined pressure.

However, if desired, the toe may be placed out of action for guiding purposes by drawingthe slide upwardly through'appropriate manual action upon the finger piece 36 thereof and then locking it in this position so that the combinar tion of presser member and guide member may function merely as the customary presser foot member for ordinary sewing operations. In order to retain this slide element with the we 37 in its elevated position, one of the inturned sides of the slide element, as the side 40, iscut away longitudinally to provide a shoulder or abutmentfit and a pin 55 threaded in the body of the presser member is designed to extend transversely therethrough into the path of movement of said slide member, mor especially to position under the shoulder 53, as is more clearly indicated in Figs. 8 and 10. This holds the toe with its lower edge 38 substantially flush with the bottom of the tines, as indicated in the broken-line position, Fig. 3 ofthe drawings.

In the use of the novel guide mechanism, it is possible to work as closely as one-sixteenth of an inch from the edges of cloth or like material; and the thickness of the same sewed togethermay equal or exceed slightly the amount of the toe projecting, for example, one-eighth of an inch.

Moreover, the resilient mounting of said guide member, with provision for adjustment of the tension of the spring, allows of feeding the materials forward in the customary manner through the-sewing machine, as by the means 31, the toe automatically yielding to accommodate irregularities in thickness.

I claim:

1 In a sewing machine: the combination with the reciprocable bifurcated foot element of the 're'ciproc'able presser member thereof; of an associated guide member for material passing through the sewing machine, slidably mounted along a side of the body of the presser member for relative longitudinal movement and having an integral fiat toe element extending between the tines of the bifurcated foot element of the presser member for free relative movement vertically in both directions and adapted to project for seam sewing operation below the bottom thereof,"and resilient means normally urging the guide member with said toe element in a direction to'posi tion the lower edge of the latter below'said tines to hold itv non-reciprocally and constantly to'th'e sewing machine table top during such'operation of said machine, together with means to limit the extent of said relative movement of the :guide member.

2. Apresser foot combination for'sewin'g machines according to claim 1, wherein the toeelement of the guide member is provided with a reinforcing rib guided in a slot of one of the tines of the bifurcated foot element.

3. A sewing machine foot comprising a mounting-portion, a shank connected to said mounting portion, a tread, means to attach said tread to said shank for rotation about a horizontal'axi's, means to bias the rear edge of the tread downwardly and an edge stitching gauge includinga guide, means to mount said guide on said foot for vertical movement, mean to bias said guide downwardly and means to selectively maintain the guide in raised position against the action of said last-named means.

'4. A sewing machine foot comprising a inounting portion, a shank connected to said mounting portion, a tread, means to attach said tread to said shank for rotation about a horizontal axis, and an edge stitching gauge including a guide, means to mountsaid guide on said foot for vertical movement, means to bias said gu'idedownwardly and means to selectively maintain "the guidein raised position against the action of said last-named means.

PAUL C. WIEGANDT.

YREFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

